Kolomyia - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

For the Ukrainian folk dance named after the city of Kolomyya, see Kolomyjka

Kolomyjka

The kolomyjka is a Ukrainian folk dance especially popular in southwestern Ukraine. It originated in the eastern Galician town of Kolomyia...

Kolomyia or Kolomyya, formerly known as Kolomea , is a city

City

A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...

located on the Prut River in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast

Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast

Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Ivano-Frankivsk. As is the case with most other oblasts of Ukraine this region has the same name as its administrative center – which was renamed by the Soviets after the Ukrainian writer, nationalist...

(province

Oblast

Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...

), in western Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

. Serving as the administrative centre

Administrative centre

An administrative centre is a term often used in several countries to refer to a county town, or other seat of regional or local government, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located....

of the Kolomyia Raion (district

Raion

A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...

), the city is also designated as a separate raion

Raion

within the oblast

Oblast

. The city rests approximately halfway between Lviv

Lviv

Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...

and Chernivtsi

Chernivtsi

Chernivtsi is the administrative center of Chernivtsi Oblast in southwestern Ukraine. The city is situated on the upper course of the River Prut, a tributary of the Danube, in the northern part of the historic region of Bukovina, which is currently divided between Romania and Ukraine...

, in the center of the historical region of Pokuttya

Pokuttya

Pokuttya or Pokuttia is a historical area of East-Central Europe, between upper Prut and Cheremosh rivers, in modern Ukraine. Historically it was a culturally distinct area inhabitated by Ukrainians and Romanians on the previously unpopulated borderlands between the lands of Lviv and Halych...

, with which it shares much of its history.

The current estimated population was around 68,000 inhabitants as of 1993.

The city is a notable railroad hub, as well as an industrial center (textile

Textile

A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...

s, shoes, metallurgical plant, machine works, wood and paper industry). It is a center of Hutsul culture. At the turn of the 20th century the city was the most populous city in Stanislawow voivodeship

Stanislawów Voivodeship

Stanisławów Voivodeship was an administrative district of the interwar Poland . It was established in December of 1920 with an administrative center in Stanisławów. The voivodeship had an area of 16,900 km² and comprised twelve counties...

Under Kievan Rus' and the principality of Halych-Volhynia (1241–1340)

The settlement of Kolomyia was first mentioned in 1241, during the Mongol invasion of Rus

Mongol invasion of Rus

The Mongol invasion of Russia was resumed on 21 December 1237 marking the resumption of the Mongol invasion of Europe, during which the Mongols attacked the medieval powers of Poland, Kiev, Hungary, and miscellaneous tribes of less organized peoples...

. Initially part of Kievan Rus'

Kievan Rus'

Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....

, it later belonged to one of its successor states, the principality of Halych-Volhynia

Halych-Volhynia

The Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia or Kingdom of Rus or Galicia–Vladimir was a Ruthenian state in the regions of Galicia and Volhynia during 1199–1349. Along with Novgorod and Vladimir-Suzdal, it was one of the three most important powers to emerge from the collapse of Kievan Rus'...

Under Poland (1340–1498)

In 1340 it was annexed to Poland by King Casimir III

Casimir III of Poland

Casimir III the Great , last King of Poland from the Piast dynasty , was the son of King Władysław I the Elbow-high and Hedwig of Kalisz.-Biography:...

, together with the rest of the region of Red Ruthenia

Red Ruthenia

Red Ruthenia is the name used since medieval times to refer to the area known as Eastern Galicia prior to World War I; first mentioned in Polish historic chronicles in the 1321, as Ruthenia Rubra or Ruthenian Voivodeship .Ethnographers explain that the term was applied from the...

. In a short time the settlement became one of the most notable centres of commerce in the area. Because of that, the population rose rapidly.

Prior to 1353 there were two parish

Parish

A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

es in the settlement, one for Catholics

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

and the other for Orthodox

Eastern Orthodox Church

The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...

. In 1412 King Władysław Jagiełło erected a Dominican order

Dominican Order

The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...

monastery

Monastery

Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...

and a stone-built church there. About the same time, the king was forced by the war with the Teutonic Order to pawn

Pawn

Pawn may refer to:* Pawn , the weakest and most numerous piece in the game* Pawn, another name for a pledge in certain jurisdictions ** Pawnshop/pawnbroker* Pawn , an embeddable programming language...

the area of Pokucie to the hospodar

Hospodar

Hospodar or gospodar is a term of Slavonic origin, meaning "lord" or "master".The rulers of Wallachia and Moldavia were styled hospodars in Slavic writings from the 15th century to 1866. Hospodar was used in addition to the title voivod...

of Moldavia

Moldavia

Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...

, Alexander. Although the city remained under Polish sovereignty, the income of the customs offices in the area was given to the Moldavians, after which time the debt was repaid.

Development

In 1405 the town's city rights were confirmed and it was granted with the Magdeburg Law, which allowed the burghers

Bourgeoisie

In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...

limited self-governance. This move made the development of the area faster and Kołomyja, as it was called then, attracted many settlers from many parts of Europe. Apart from the local Ukrainians

Ukrainians

Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...

and Poles

Poles

thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...

, many Armenians

Armenians

Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....

, Jews

Jews

The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...

, and Hungarians settled there. In 1411 the fortress-city was given away for 25 years to the Vlach Hospodar

Hospodar

Olexander as a gift for his support in the war against Hungary. In 1443, a year before his death, King Wladislaus II of Poland

Wladislaus II of Poland

Wladislaus II of Poland may refer to:*Władysław II the Exile , High Duke of Poland*Jogaila , King of Poland. Also known as Władysław II JagiełłoWladyslaw II Jagiello- See also :* Ladislaus Jagiello...

granted the city yet another privilege which allowed the burghers to trade salt

Salt

In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...

, one of the most precious minerals of the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

.

Since the castle gradually fell into disarray, in 1448 King Casimir IV of Poland gave the castle on the hill above the town to Maria, widow of Eliah, voivod of Moldavia

Moldavia

Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...

as a dowry. In exchange, she refurbished the castle and reinforced it. In 1456 the town was granted yet another privilege. This time the king allowed the town authorities to stop all merchants passing by the town, and force them to sell their goods at the local market. This gave the town an additional boost, especially as the region was one of three salt-producing areas in Poland (the other two being Wieliczka

Wieliczka

-External links:***...

and Bochnia

Bochnia

Bochnia is a town of 30,000 inhabitants on the river Raba in southern Poland. The town lies approximately in halfway [] between Tarnów and the regional capital Kraków . Bochnia is most noted for its salt mine, the oldest functioning in Europe, built circa 1248...

), both not far from Kraków

Kraków

Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...

.

The area was relatively peaceful for the next century. However, the vacuum after the decline of the Golden Horde

Golden Horde

The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...

started to be filled by yet another power in the area: the Ottoman Empire

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

. In 1485 Sultan

Sultan

Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...

Beyazid II captured Belgorod

Belgorod

-Twin towns/sister cities:Belgorod is twinned with: Wakefield, England, United Kingdom Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia Opole, Poland Vyshhorod, Ukraine Kharkiv, Ukraine-External links:...

and Kilia

Kilia

Kilia may refer to:* Kilia, a town in Ukraine* Chilia Veche, a town in Tulcea County, Romania* Chilia branch, a distributary of the Danube.* 470 Kilia, an asteroid.* Kilia, an English transliteration of Χηλή, the Greek name for the town of Şile in Turkey...

, two ports at the northern shores of the Black Sea

Black Sea

The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...

. This became a direct threat to Moldavia

Moldavia

Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...

. In search of allies, its ruler Ştefan cel Mare came to Kołomyja and paid homage to the Polish king, thus becoming a vassal

Vassal

A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...

of the Polish Crown. For the ceremony, both monarchs came with roughly 20,000 knights, which was probably the biggest festivity ever held in the town. After the festivity most knights returned home, apart from 3,000 under Jan Karnkowski, who were given to the Moldavian prince as support in his battles, which he won in the end. In 1490 the city was sacked by the riot of Ivan Mukha.

Decline

However, with the death of Stefan of Moldova

Stephen III of Moldavia

Stephen III of Moldavia was Prince of Moldavia between 1457 and 1504 and the most prominent representative of the House of Mușat.During his reign, he strengthened Moldavia and maintained its independence against the ambitions of Hungary, Poland, and the...

, the neighbouring state started to experience both internal and external pressure from the Turks. In the effect of border skirmishes, as well as natural disasters, the town was struck by fires in 1502, 1505, 1513, and 1520.

Under Moldova (1498–1531)

Władysław II Jagiełło, needing financial support in his battles against the Teutonic Knights

Teutonic Knights

The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...

, used the region as a guarantee in a loan which he obtained from Petru I of Moldavia

Petru I of Moldavia

Petru I Muşat was Voivode of Moldavia from 1375 to 1391, the son of Costea Muşat, the first ruler from the dynastic House of Bogdan. During his reign, he maintained good relationships with his neighbours, especially Poland....

, who thus gained control of Pokuttya

Pokuttya

in 1388 , therefore, became the feodal property of the princes of Moldavia

Moldavia

Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...

, but remained within the Kingdom of Poland

Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)

The Kingdom of Poland of the Jagiellons was the Polish state created by the accession of Jogaila , Grand Duke of Lithuania, to the Polish throne in 1386. The Union of Krewo or Krėva Act, united Poland and Lithuania under the rule of a single monarch...

..

After the Battle of the Cosmin Forest

Battle of the Cosmin Forest

The Battle of the Cosmin Forest was fought between the Moldavian Prince, Ştefan cel Mare , and King John I of Poland of the Kingdom of Poland...

, in 1498, Pokuttia was conquered by Stephen the Great

Stephen III of Moldavia

, annexed and retained by Moldavia

Moldavia

Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...

until the Battle of Obertyn

Battle of Obertyn

The Battle of Obertyn was fought between Moldavian Prince Petru Rareş and Polish King Zygmunt Stary, in the town of Obertyn, north of the Dniester River, now in Ukraine. The battle ended with a Polish victory and the reconquest of Pokutia....

in 1531, when it was recaptured by Poland's hetman

Hetman

Hetman was the title of the second-highest military commander in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita....

Jan Tarnowski

Jan Amor Tarnowski was a Polish szlachcic . He was Grand Crown Hetman from 1527 and was the founder of the city of Tarnopol, where he built the Ternopil Castle and the Ternopil Lake....

, who defeated Stephen's son Petru Rareş

Petru Rares

Peter IV Rareș was twice voievod of Moldavia: 20 January 1527 to 18 September 1538 and 19 February 1541 to 3 September 1546. He was an illegitimate child born to Ștefan cel Mare...

. Minor Polish-Moldavian clashes for Pokuttia continued for the next 15 years, until Petru Rareş's death.

Polish – Ottoman wars

The following year hetman

Hetman

Jan Tarnowski

Jan Amor Tarnowski was a Polish szlachcic . He was Grand Crown Hetman from 1527 and was the founder of the city of Tarnopol, where he built the Ternopil Castle and the Ternopil Lake....

recaptured the town, and defeated the Moldavians in the Battle of Obertyn

Battle of Obertyn

. This victory secured the city's existence for the following years, but the Ottoman power grew and Poland's southern border remained insecure.

In 1540 Jews were allowed to live in Kolomyia with some restrictions.

In 1589, the Turks crossed the border and seized Kołomyja almost immediately. All the burghers taking part in the defence were slaughtered, while the rest were forced to pay high indemnities.

The town was returned to Poland soon afterwards, but the city's growth lost its momentum. In 1616 Jews were permitted to have land to build a synagogue and cemetery.

In 1620, another Polono-Turkish war broke out. After the Polish defeat at Ţuţora, Kołomyja was yet again seized by the Turks – in 1626 the town was burned to the ground, while all of residents were enslaved in a jasyr.

After the war the area yet again returned to Poland. With the town in ruins, the starosta

Starosta

Starost is a title for an official or unofficial position of leadership that has been used in various contexts through most of Slavic history. It can be translated as "elder"...

of Kamieniec Podolski fortress financed its reconstruction – slightly further away from the Prut River. The town was rebuilt, but never regained its power and remained one of many similar-scaled centres in the area.

In 1648–49, Chmielnick forces killed 300 Jews, nearly the entire community. In 1700 Jews moved back to Kolomea, and by 1765 the Jewish population was 1,072.

Partition of Poland

As a result of the Partitions of Poland

Partitions of Poland

The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...

of 1772, Kołomyja was annexed by Austria

Habsburg Monarchy

The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...

. Austris restricted Jewish trade in lumber and salt, and imposed special taxes on Jews for marriage permits, kosher meat, synagogues, and similar items. Marriage was restricted to the oldest Jewish son, and quotas were placed on number of Jewish families that could reside in Galicia.

In the 1790s, Jews, who had been subjected to conscription to the Austro-Hungarian army, had conscription abolished and replaced by a 30 zloty levy for each Jewish man of military age.

However, as it provided very little profit, Kołomyja was sold to the castellan

Castellan

A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...

of Bełz, Ewaryst Kuropatnicki, who became the town's owner. The magnate financed a new Our Lady's Church, but he lacked finance for speeding-up the city's growth.

In 1797 secular education was mandated for Jews. In 1812 the Jewish population was 2,033. In 1814 Jews were prohibited from publishing or importing Hebrew and Yiddish books, and in 1834 the Jews of Austria were forbidden to have first names of Christian saints. In 1860 Jews were finally allowed to own real estate and buy houses.

The prosperity returned to the town in mid-19th century, when it was linked to the world through the Lemberg-Czernowitz railroad. By 1882 the city had almost 24.000 inhabitants, including roughly 12,000 Jews, 6,000 Ruthenians, and 4,000 Poles. Until the end of that century, the commerce attracted even more inhabitants from all-over the Galicia. Moreover, a new Jesuit Catholic church was built in Kolomyja, as it was called by German authorities, along with a Lutheran church built in 1874. By 1901 the number of inhabitants grew to 34,188, approximately half of them Jews.

20th century

In 1900 the Jewish population was 16,568, again nearly 50% of the town’s population. The Jewish community had a Great Synagogue, and about 30 other synagogues. In 1910 Jews were prohibited from selling alcoholic beverages. In 1911 they were prohibited from salt and wine occupations.

After the outbreak of the Great War

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, the town saw fierce battles between the forces of the Russian Empire

Russian Empire

The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...

and Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...

. Jews were abused for supposedly supporting the Austrians, and many Jewish homes were ransacked and destroyed.

The Russians advance occupied the town in September 1914.

In 1915 the Austrians retook the town.

As a result of the collapse of Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary

, both the town itself and the surrounding region became disputed between renascent Poland and the West Ukrainian People's Republic.

Second Polish Republic

However, during the Polish-Ukrainian War

Polish-Ukrainian War

The Polish–Ukrainian War of 1918 and 1919 was a conflict between the forces of the Second Polish Republic and West Ukrainian People's Republic for the control over Eastern Galicia after the dissolution of Austria-Hungary.-Background:...

of 1919, it was seized without a fight by forces of Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

, and handed over to Polish authorities. During the Polish-Bolshevik 1919 war in Ukraine, a Polish division under General Zeligowski tore through Bessarabia and Bukovina and stopped in Kolomea during its winter march to Poland. Kolomea was then temporarily occupied by the Rumanians and the border was near the shtetl Otynia between Stanislav and Kolomea.

After the Polish-Soviet War

Polish-Soviet War

The Polish–Soviet War was an armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine and the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic—four states in post–World War I Europe...

it remained in Poland as a capital of a powiat

Powiat

A powiat is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture in other countries. The term powiat is most often translated into English as "county", although other terms are also sometimes used...

within the Stanisławów Voivodship. By 1931 the number of inhabitants grew to over 41,000. The ethnic mixture was composed of Jews, Poles, Ukrainians, Hutsuls, Germans, Armenians, and Hungarians, as well as of descendants of Valachians and other nationalities of former Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary

. With the development of infrastructure, the town became a major railroad hub, as well as the garrison city of the 49th Hutsul Rifle Regiment

49th Hutsul Rifle Regiment

The 49th Hutsul Rifle Regiment was a unit of the Polish Army, which belonged to the 11th Carpathian Infantry Division . Stationed in the interbellum in the garrison in Kolomyja, it participated in the Polish September Campaign, fighting in southern Poland...

, probably the only purely-Hutsul military unit in history. In the interbellum period, every Thursday a market took place at the main square of the town. The town did not have any monuments other than a monument of Polish poet Franciszek Karpinski

Franciszek Karpinski

Franciszek Karpiński was the leading sentimental Polish poet of the Age of Enlightenment. He is particularly remembered for his religious works later rendered as hymns and carols. He is also considered one of the most original Polish writers of the early partitions...

, and an obelisk

Obelisk

An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...

near the town, located in a spot where in 1485 hospodar

Hospodar

Stephen III of Moldavia

paid tribute to king Kazimierz IV Jagiellon.

After the outbreak of World War II with the Polish Defensive War of 1939, the town was thought of as one of the centers of Polish defense of the so-called Romanian Bridgehead

Romanian Bridgehead

The Romanian Bridgehead was an area in southeastern Poland, now located in Ukraine. During the Polish Defensive War of 1939 , on September 14 the Polish Commander in Chief Marshal of Poland Edward Rydz-Śmigły ordered all Polish troops fighting east of the Vistula to withdraw towards Lwów, and...

Part of Soviet Union and World War II

However, the Soviet invasion from the east made these plans obsolete, and the town was occupied by the Red Army

Red Army

The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...

.

As a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...

, the occupied town was anexed by the Soviet Union to the Ukrainian SSR

Ukrainian SSR

The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...

. In 1940 most of the local population were arrested by the NKVD

NKVD

The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....

, and sent to Gulag

Gulag

The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...

system or to various Soviet prisons among which were Polish, Ukrainians, Hungarians, and many others.

In 1941, the town was seized by Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...

.

During the German occupation most of the city's Jews were murdered by the Germans. Initial street executions of September and October 1941 took the lives of approximately 500 people. The following year the remaining Jews were massed in a local ghetto, and then murdered in various concentration camps, mostly in Bełżec. Several hundred Jews were kept as slave workers in a work camp, and then murdered in 1943 in a forest near Szeparowka.

When the town was liberated by the Red Army the rest of the local population was displaced and replaced with people from the eastern Ukraine or other parts of the Soviet Union.

During the Cold War

Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

the town was the headquarters of the 44th Rocket Division of the Strategic Rocket Forces

Strategic Rocket Forces

The Strategic Missile Troops or Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation or RVSN RF , transliteration: Raketnye voyska strategicheskogo naznacheniya Rossiyskoy Federatsii, literally Missile Troops of Strategic Designation of the Russian Federation) are a military branch of the Russian...

, which had previously been the 73rd Engineer Brigade RVGK at Kamyshin

Kamyshin

Kamyshin is a city in Volgograd Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Volgograd Reservoir of the Volga River, in the estuary of the Kamyshinka River. Population: 101,000 ; 24,000 ....

. The division was disbanded on 31 March 1990.

Under the independent Ukraine (1991–present)

It now remains a part of Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

, independent since 1991.

It is a twin town

Town twinning

Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

of Nysa

Nysa, Poland

Nysa is a town in southwestern Poland on the Nysa Kłodzka river with 47,545 inhabitants , situated in the Opole Voivodeship. It is the capital of Nysa County. It comprises the urban portion of the surrounding Gmina Nysa, a mixed urban-rural commune with a total population of 60,123 inhabitants...

in Poland, to where many of its former inhabitants were expelled after the war.

Kolomyia administrative district

The Kolomyia raion

Raion

(administrative district), a historic subdivision of Galicia

Subdivisions of Galicia

The Subdivisions of Galicia were the administrative districts of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, the largest and most populous part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire between 1772 to 1918. It consisted of 73 administrative districts in 1877 and 78 in 1900 and they were responsible for storing...

, was divided into the Kolomyia and Hvizdets

Hvizdets

Hvizdets is a town in the Kolomyia Raion of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast of Ukraine. It is located 12 miles ENE of Kolomyya, 35 miles SE of Ivano-Frankivsk and 430 WSW of Kiev, at approximately .-Alternate names:...

sub-districts. It included such towns and shtetl

Shtetl

A shtetl was typically a small town with a large Jewish population in Central and Eastern Europe until The Holocaust. Shtetls were mainly found in the areas which constituted the 19th century Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire, the Congress Kingdom of Poland, Galicia and Romania...

s as:

Lisnyi Khlibychyn (Chiebiczyn Lesny)
Cheremkhiv (Czeremchow)
Kolomyia
Kuty
Kuty
Kuty is a town in Ukraine, on the Cheremosh river, located in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. It is notable as one of the historical centres and the namesake of a historical region of Pokuttya. Population is 4,272 ....
Pechenizhyn
Pechenizhyn
Pechenizhyn — is a town in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast of Ukraine, seven miles west of Kolomyya.Until World War I Pechenizhyn was in Kolomyja Powiat, Galicia . Between the two World Wars it was in Stanislawow Province, Poland...

(Peczenizyn)
Tiunaczyk

Local orientation
Regional orientation

Books featuring Kolomyia

"Der Don Juan von Kolomea" (The Don Juan of Kolomyia), by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch
Leopold von Sacher-Masoch
Leopold Ritter von Sacher-Masoch was an Austrian writer and journalist, who gained renown for his romantic stories of Galician life. The term masochism is derived from his name....

Notable people

Jimmy Berg (1909–1988), composer
Emanuel Feuermann
Emanuel Feuermann
Emanuel Feuermann was an internationally celebrated cellist in the first half of the 20th century.-Biography:...

(1902–1942), cellist
Chaim Gross
Chaim Gross
Chaim Gross was an Austrian born American sculptor. He was born in the then Austro-Hungarian village of Kolomyia and immigrated to the United States in 1921...

(1904–1991), sculptor
Jan Ewangelista Nowicki (1894–1973), bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

of Lwów
Potocki
Potocki
Potocki is the surname of a Polish noble family.-History:The Potocki family is a great artistocratic family originated from Potok in the Kraków Voivodeship; their family name derives from that place name. The family is heavily entwined with the cultural development and history of Poland's Eastern...

family members
- Stanisław "Rewera" Potocki (1579–1667)
- Józef Potocki
  Józef Potocki
  Józef Potocki was a Polish nobleman , magnate, Great Hetman of the Crown.Józef was considered as the richest magnate at that time...
  
  (?-1692)
- Andrzej Potocki
  Andrzej Potocki
  Andrzej Potocki was a Polish szlachcic, magnate.Great Chorąży of the Crown since 1660, voivode of Kijów Voivodship since 1668, voivode of Kraków Voivodship since 1682, castellan of Kraków since 1682, Field Crown Hetman since 1684....
  
  (1673–1751)
- Stanisław Potocki (?-1760)
Sieniawski family members:
- Hieronim Jarosz Sieniawski
  Hieronim Jarosz Sieniawski
  Hieronim Jarosz Sieniawski was a Polish noble.He was a starost of Halicz and Kołomyja since 1550, Podkomorzy of Kamieniec Litewski since 1554, castellan of Kamieniec Litewski since 1569 and voivode of the Ruthenian Voivodship since 1576....
  
  (ca. 1516–1579)
Roman Hryhorchuk
Roman Hryhorchuk
Roman Hryhorchuk is a retired Ukrainian football player and current manager of FC Chornomorets Odesa.-Player career:He started playing with FC Lysonia Berezhany and then FC Temp Shepetivka...

(born 1965), football player
Olena Iurkovska
Olena Iurkovska
Olena Iurkovska is a cross-country skier and biathlete from Ukraine, and a five time Paralympic Champion. She has competed at every Winter Paralympic Games since 2002, winning a total of five gold, five silver, and five bronze medals up to 2010...

(born 1983), five time Paralympic Champion and Hero of Ukraine
Hero of Ukraine
Hero of Ukraine is the highest state decoration that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the Government of Ukraine. The title was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma and as of August 25 2011 the total number of awards is 265. The award is divided into two classes of distinction:...

External links

ntktv.ua, the city's television
kolomyya.org (in Ukrainian)
pysanka.museum Pysanka Museum
hutsul.museum Hutsul and Pokuttya National Folk Art Museum
Kolomyya Tourist Directory (PDF)
Heraldry and old pictures
Picture gallery
Kolomyia's Museum of Hutsul Folk Art
New York-based Jewish organizations of exiles from Kolomyia
JewishGen – The Kolomea Administrative District
Memorial Book
Photographs of Jewish sites in Kolomyia in the Jewish History in Galicia and Bukovina
Kolomyya travel plan Your private guide in Kolomyya.

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